Fluid nozzle



July 18, 1944. v. J. sKoGLUND FLUID NOZZLE Filed April 1e, 1942 AW O n 1 l l l l l u ,l a I l l l l l l l I l W n z l l l 1 1 l l l l 1 l l n INVENTOR 5lfagmd Mu ATTOR N EY Patented July 18 FLUID NOZZLE Victor J. Skoglund, San Diego, Calif., assigner to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, l Conn., a corporation of Delaware `Application Api-11 1s, 1942, serial No. 439,167 2 claims. (C1. io-356)' This invention relates to improvements in uid nozzles and has particular, reference to an improved expansion type nozzle for directing a jet of hot gaseous iluid.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved nozzle of the character indicated which can handle high temperature fluid, such as exhaust gas, without itself becoming overheated.

A further object resides in the provision of an improved fluid nozzle of the character indicated which is continuously cooled by a now of cooling iluid therethrough and in which the nozzle walls are protected by a layer of cooling iluid interposed between the walls and the hot fluid passing through the nozzle.

Other objects and advantages will'be more particularly pointed out'hereinafter or will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like reference numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout, there is illustrated, in two somewhat different forms, a suitable mechanical embodiment for the purpose of disclosing the invention. The drawing, however, is for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be taken as limiting or restricting the invention since it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the illustrated embodiment may be restorted to without in any way exceeding the scope of the invention.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through one form of iluid jet directing nozzle constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through a somewhat modified form of nozzle, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line II--d of Fig. 3.

High speed jets of extremely high temperature gases have been found to be useful in many appli'- cations for developing power either as the total result of the combustion of fuel or in addition to power developed by a fuel consuming engine. A typical example of such an application is in the use of the exhaust gases of an internal-combustion aircraft engine'to drive a turbine which may be used to operate an engine supercharger or to provide rearwardly directed jets which add their reactive force to the propulsive forces exerted on the airplane by the engine. Various other applications of such high speed, high temperature jets will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

In producing the necessary equipment for providing such high speed jets of high temperature gas, such as engine exhaust gas, it has been found that the jet producing nozzles are subject A to rapid deterioration because of the high temperature of the gases passing therethrough, the errosive effects of the high speed gas jets, and other causes. It is among the objects of this invention to provide an improved nozzle which is not subject to such rapid deterioration.

Two slightly different forms of improved nozzles, constructed according to the invention, are shown in the accompanying drawing, one form being shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and a slightly different form in Figs. 3 and 4.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a nozzle block Ill, which may be of generally cylindrical shape, is provided with a substantially axial bore I2 having a relatively large inlet portion I4, a restricted throat portion I6 from which the bore gradually flares to the exit opening I8. 'I'his block is preferably formed of some heat resistant material, such as a refractory ceramic, and may be enclosed in an annular casing 2U the ends of which are in contact with the ends of the nozzle but the sides of which are spaced from the block to provide a space 22 which preferably entirely surrounds the nozzle block I0. A cooling fluid conduit 24 leads into the space 22 andV a large number of relatively small bores or apertures 2E lead from the space 22 through the wall thickness of the nozzle block to the bore I2. As is clearly apparent from Figs, 1 and 2, the bores 26 are distributed both axially and radially of the nozzle block between the entrance portion I4 and the exit portion I8 of the main bore I2-but are more widely spaced axially in the divergent portion of the main bore. The cooling fluid entering through the duct 24 may be under pressure suicient to force the cooling uid through the small bores 26 and into the main bore I2 although this pressure may be assisted to a considerable extent by the low pressure created near the throat portion ofthe nozzle by the ilow of gases therethrough. Because the pressure of the cooling iluid will be substantially the same in various portions of chamber 22, the pressure drop between the throat I6 and chamber 22 will be greater than the pressure drop between chamber 22 and the converging inlet portion of the nozzle leading to the throat I6. However, the restricted cooling fluid passages (such as shown at 26 in Fig. l) are longer at the throat portion and hence offer greater resistance to the flow of cooling iluid at this point, thus tending to insure an adequate flow of cooling iluid from chamber 22 to the converging inlet portion of the nozzle, or in other words, tending to equalize or regulate the ilow of cooling iluid from the chamber to the throat as compared with the now of cooling iiuid from the chamber to the convergent inlet. Thus, the iiow of cooling fluid under all laminar iiow conditions to the convergent and throat portions of the nozzle is inherently approximately regulated by the nozzle structure of this invention. Under some laminar ow conditions, such as where a gas is expanded in a divergent nozzle portion to a back pressure which is less than the critical, the ilow of cooling iluid may also be regulated by increasing the axial spacing of the restricted passages in the divergent portion, as illustrated in Fig. 1. As the cooling iluid which may be air enters the bore I2 at right angles to the iiow of the hot gases therethrough it will be led along the wall of the bore I2 to cool the wall and also provide a heat insulating layer oi cooling fluid between the nozzle wall and the hot gas passing through the nozzle. As the cooling fluid is swept along towards the exit end 'of the nozzle it will be heated and mixed with the iluid constituting the jet produced by the nozzle and will add its volume to that of the Jet forming gas. If desired, the quantity of cooling fluid may be regulated to control the temperature of the jet issuing from the nozzle to, if necessary, lower the temperature of the jet to a point at which it will not injure the blades of a turbine, or other structure, against which the jet impinges.

T'he nozzle shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is, in general,

similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the exception that the block 28 instead of being provided with small bores or apertures, as indicated at 2B in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed of a generally porous material through which the cooling iluid may flow from the space 22 to the nozzle bore i2. Such a block may conveniently be formed by including a pore forming-material in the material from which the block is made before iiring of the material to form the nished block or may be formed by sintering granulated heat resistant material in such a manner as to leave sumcient space between the granules so that the cooling iluid may pass therethrough, or by other convenient or desired means known to the art.

While a suitable mechanical embodiment inl two slightly different forms has been shown in the accompanying drawing and hereinabove described for the purpose of disclosing the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments so illustrated and described, but that such changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the various parts may be resorted to as come within the scope of the sub-joined claims.

.Having now described the invention so that others skilled in the art may clearly understand the same, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is as follows;

l. A heat resistant expansion nozzle for producing a iiuid jet from a source of hot gas under pressure comprising a block of refractory material having a smooth walled gas expanding bore therein, said bore having a convergent inlet portion and a" restricted throat portion smoothly merging into each other to form a laminar flow gas expanding bore, and means for protecting the walls of said bore from the effects oi' heat and erosion by said hot gas including, a cooling chamber around said block, means for introducing a cooling fluid into said chamber under a pressure higher than the pressure of the hot gas passing through said converging inlet portion oi' said bore, and means for maintaining a cooling and insulating layer of cooling iluid between said hot gas and the walls 'of said bore comprising restricted passages extending generally radially from both the convergent and the throat portions of said bore to said chamber, said restricted passages being of greater length and consequently greater iiow restriction at said throat portion than at said convergent portion.

2. A heat resistant expansion nozzle for pro-` ducing a fluid jet from a source of hot gas under pressure comprising a blockof refractory material having a smooth walled gas expanding bore therein, said bore having a convergent inlet portion, a restricted throat portion, and a diverging outlet portion smoothly merging into each other to form a laminar flow gas expanding bore, and means for protecting the Walls of said bore from the eiects of heat and erosion by said hot gas including, a cooling chamber around said block, means for introducing a cooling iiuid into said chamber under a pressure higher than the pressure of the hot gas passing through said converging inlet portion of said bore, and means i'or maintaining a cooling and insulating layer of cooling iiuid between said hot gas and the walls of said bore comprising axially spaced restricted passages extending generally radially from each said convergent, throat and divergent portions of said bore to said chamber, said restricted passages being of greater length and consequently greater flow restriction at said throat portion than at said convergent portion and being more Widely spaced axially at said divergent portion than at said throat portion.

VICTOR J. SKOGLUND. 

